Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Manganese Flux Across The Blood-Brain Barrier, Robert A. Yokel

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Manganese (Mn) is essential for brain growth and metabolism, but in excess can be a neurotoxicant. The chemical form (species) of Mn influences its kinetics and toxicity. Significant Mn species entering the brain are the Mn²⁺ ion and Mn citrate which, along with Mn transferrin, enter the brain by carrier-mediated processes. Although the divalent metal transporter (DMT-1) was suggested to be a candidate for brain Mn uptake, brain Mn influx was not different in Belgrade rats, which do not express functional DMT-1, compared to controls. Brain Mn influx was not sodium dependent or dependent on ATP hydrolysis, but was …

Effects Of Genetic Deficiency Of Cyclooxygenase-1 Or Cyclooxygenase-2 On Functional And Histological Outcomes Following Traumatic Brain Injury In Mice, Matthew L. Kelso, Stephen W. Scheff, James R. Pauly, Charles D. Loftin

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Neuroinflammation contributes to the pathophysiology of acute CNS injury, including traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although prostaglandin lipid mediators of inflammation contribute to a variety of inflammatory responses, their importance in neuroinflammation is not clear. There are conflicting reports as to the efficacy of inhibiting the enzymes required for prostaglandin formation, cyclooxygenase (COX) -1 and COX-2, for improving outcomes following TBI. The purpose of the current study was to determine the role of the COX isoforms in contributing to pathological processes resulting from TBI by utilizing mice deficient in COX-1 or COX-2.

RESULTS: Following a mild controlled cortical impact injury, …